Self-winding clock.



PATENTED OCT, 15, 1907.

A. F. POOLE.

SELF WINDING CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.10,1904,

will" Witness as; 541

[it H? u to 7": A Jliiharffbole 3y Iiaflltorucy UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SELF-WINDING CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1907- Application filed February 10,1904. Serial No. 192,938.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR F. POOLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Santa Barbara, in the county of Santa Barbara and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Self-Winding Clocks, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to motor-controlling apparatus and especially to a controller for an electric motor used to effect the automatic winding of a clock.

Owing to the delicacy of the mechanism used in selfwinding clocks, it is essential that any motor-control be operated with great precision irrespective of slight variations in the current supplied, and without appreciable effort or vibration.

My invention comprises a switching mechanism having an element the sole function of which is to operate the switch proper, and which beyond this acts merely as a passive intermediary, being acted upon only by the single element actuating the same. The means employed for closing the switch is brought by the electric motor into position to escape the switch-actuating clement upon closing the circuit.

My invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which i Figure 1 is a front elevation partly broken away to show the connection between the clock-train and the shaft carrying the armature; Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the position of the respective parts at the moment of closing the circuit; Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the position of the respective parts when the armature .is in its attracted position; Fig. '4 is transverse elevation on the line 44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a detail rear elevation of a portion of the clocktrain; and Fig. (iis a plan view of the element of the switching mechanism, isolated.

In the drawings, 1: represents the field coils of an electric motor, forming a partial magnetic circuit which is completed by an armature l rigidly mounted upon a shaft or. A finger n rigidly connected tosaid shaft engages with a fork 0 whereby, when the armature assumes its attracted position with respect to the field 1:. the click spring 0 is caused to ride over the wheel 0 and engage a new tooth thereof. The attraction of the annature by the field increases the tension of a spring p with the consequent storage of the potential energy required to actuate the clock-train. The shaft in has an arm q fixed thereto which carries a strip metal spring r that has a V-shaped kink at its free end which serves to engage a switch actuating element u.

The switching mechanism consists of the terminals f and f, the latter a strip metal spring, a battery t, the helices k, a spring r and an element u preferably separate and distinct from the terminals. The switching circuit as it moves in a clockwise direction.

element u comprises a block which is loosely mounted upon the shaft m, effects a closure of the circuit by movement iii an anti-clockwise direction and opens the This latfor movement is limited by a stop it" so placed that the peak of the cam-shaped portion u of the switching element which engages the spring 1' is limited to the sides 1" and 1" of the detent end of the spring r. To prevent short-circuiting, the end of the switching element which engages the terminal spring f is insulated. A stop it maintains the armature within the field of the coils k.

The operation is as follows: Assuming the position of Fig. 3 to be the initial position, then, the circuit being open, the armature, in response to the tension of the spring p, moves outwardly, rotating the shaft or in a clockwise direction, which actuates the clock-train through the agency of the finger n, the fork o and the click spring 0. With the outward rotation of the armature the spring 1 is gradually retracted, since they are mounted on a common shaft m, and the cam u rides over the face 1' of the detent in the end of the spring 1'. So long as this face bears upon the switching element u, the opposite insulated and of the same is prevented from causing contact between the terminals f, f As soon, however, as the cam u rides over the apex of the detent and the opposite face r is brought to bear upon the same, the pressure of the spring 1" with respect to the switching element u is reversed, and the latter being free to rotate in an anti-clockwise direction is instantly thrown into contact with the terminal f which is in turn pressed into contact with the opposing terminal f, thus closing the circuit as indicated in Fig. 2. The closing of the circuit excites the field coil k and the armature being attracted re-assumes the position indicated in Fig. 3.

In the electric motor herein described it is impossible to have such imperfect operation as to cause a buzzing between the terminals of the motor circuit because the terminal f is thrown to one or the other of its alternative positions by means mounted wholly independent of the armature, when the latter has reached one or the other of its alternative positions. Obviously the interval between said movements may be long or short and in practice I have found a four minute period to be very satisfactory.

Having thus described the nature and object of m invention what Iclaim is:

1. in combinntiom an electromagnet, an oscillating armature therefor, a circuit closing device independent of the armature, and an elastic member carried by said armature and adapted to engage said circuit closing device and to move it into alternative positions, substantially as described.

2. In combination, an electromagnet, an oscillating armature therefor, a circuit closing device mounted independently of the armature, a freely movable intermediate 3. In combination, an electromagnet, an oscillating armature therefor, a circuit closing device mounted inde-' pendently of the. armature, a freely oscillating intermediate element loosely mounted on the armature shaft for operating the circuit closing device, and means carried by the armature for actuating said movable element, substantially as described. 7

4. The combination with an electric motor, of switching mechanism governing its circuit, an element of said switching mechanism being rotatably mounted, means for eit'ecting rotation of said element, and means for eifeeting abodily movement of the aforesaid means in a direction opposite to that which the aforesaid means thereupon causes the said element to move, substantially as described.

5. The combination with an electric motor including an oscillating armature, of switching mechanism governing the circuit of the electric motor, said switching mechanism including an actuating element u, a spring provided with a kinked or cam portion and carried by an actuated element of the electric motor to effect an operation of the said block it to close the circuit of the motor, and a spring in opposition to which the armature is rotated when circuit through the motor is closed, substantiaily as described. I

(i. Thecombination with an electric motor including an oscillating armature, of switching mechanism governing the circuit of the electric motor, said switching mechanism including the actuating element u-provided with a cam 'u' having meeting sloping surfaces, and a spring I provided with a kinked or cam portion and carried by an actuated element of the motor, one side of the kink or cam of the spring serving to cngageone slope of tlle cam and the other side of said kink serving to engage the other slope of the cam as said spring 'is moved by the motor, substantially as described. T

'i'. The combination with an electric motor including an oscillating armature, of switching mechanism governing the circuit of the electric motor. said switching mechanism including the actuating element it provided with a stantlullyas described.

8. The combination with an electric motor including an oscillating armature, of switching mechanism governing the circuit of the electric motor, said switching mechanism including an actuating element u, a spring provided with a kinked or cam portion-and carried by an actuated ele-- ment of the electric motor to effect an operation of the said block u to close the circuit of the motor, a spring in opposition to which the armature is rotated when circuit through the motor is closed, and clock mechanism including a train operated by said spring, substantially as described. 7 4

9. The combination with an electric motor including an oscillating armature, of switching mechanism governing the circuit of the electric motorpsaid switching mechanism including the actuating'element it provided with a cam 11 having meeting sloping surfaces, a. spring 1' provided with a kinked or com portion and carried by an actuated element of the motor, one side of said kink serving to engage one slope of the cam and the-other side of said kink serving to engage the other slopeof the cam as said spring is moved by the motor, and clock mechanism including a train operated by said spring, substantially as described.

10. The combination with an electric motor-including ,an oscillating armature, of switching mechanism governing the circuit of the electric motor, said switching mechanism including the actuating element It provided with a com o having meeting sloping surfaces, a spring 1 provided with a kinked or cam portion and carried by an actuated element of the motor, one side of the kink serving to engage one slope of the cam and the other side of the kink serving to engage the other slope of the cam as said spring is moved by the motor, a spring in opposition to which the armature of the motor rotates when circuit through the motor is closed, and clock mechanism including a train operated by said spring, substantially as described.

11. The combination with an electric motor including an oscillating armature, of a spring in opposition to which said armature is rotated when the motor circuit is closed, switching mechanism governing its circuit, an element of said switching mechanism being rotatably mounted, means for effecting rotation of said element,.means for effecting a bodily movement of the aforesaid means in a direction opposite to that which the aforesaid means thereupon causes the said element to move, and a clock whose train is driven by said spring, substantially as described.

12. The combination with an electric motor including an oscillating armature, of a spring in opposition to which said armature is rotated when the motor circuit is closed, switching mechanism governing its circuit, means for effecting movement of said element, means for effecting a bodilymovemcnt of the aforesaid means in a direction opposite to that which the aforesaid means thereupon thei'eupon causes the said element to move, substantially as described.

14. The combination with an electric motor including an oscillating armature, of switching mechanism governing the circuit of the'xelectric motor, and an actuating element operating independently of the motor and carried by an element driven by the motor and adapted to engage and thereafter escape an operating element of the switching mechanism, substantially as described.

15. The combination with an electric motor including an oscillating armature, of switching mechanism governing the circuit of the electric motor, and an actuating element carried by an element driven by the motor and adapted to engage and thereafter escape an operating element ofthe switching mechanism, substantially as described.

16. in combination. an electromagnet. an oscillating armature therefor, circuit terminals connected with a source of electricity. a circuit-closing element adapted to engage one of said terminals and'permanently insulated from the circuit, and means actuated by the armature for momentarily closing the circuit through said circuitclo'sing element.

in witness whereof. I hereunto subscribe my name this nineteenth day of January A. 1)., 1904.

ARTHUR F. POOLE.

Witnesses G. L. Chaos, (3. H. CRAWFORD. 

